The Decade's Best and Worst Graphic Novel Adaptations

It's no wonder that graphic novels -- essentially pre-drawn storyboards featuring ultra-violent, supernatural plotlines -- are such an appealing sell. But caveat emptor, Hollywood-types: many come with fanatical fanbases that will make your lives living hells if you so much as get a single inkblot wrong on your anti-hero's mask. Even worse -- some are simply unfilmable. We round up for you now some of this decade's best, and worst, examples of graphic novel adaptations.

And a note for purists: The term graphic novel is being used here to also encompass limited comic book series that have later been published in volumes. OK! Let's begin...

The Best

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300 (2006)

Before New Moon turned exposed male abdominals into a standalone selling point, and before Avatar set an angry tribe of spearchucking warriors against a 100% computer-generated landscape, there was 300. Director Zack Snyder's epic, homoerotic tale of martial bloodlust may not be a great film -- where factors like plot, dialogue, and convincing-looking hunchback turncoats are considered measures of greatness -- but as an example of the graphic novel adaptation, it's a gem. It retained the stark iconography of Frank Miller's illustrations and text, but also had the chutzpah to dive headlong into its ridiculous world of nose-jewelry-wearing Persian deities and thong-and-cape-bedecked Chippensoldiers. Somehow, it all worked.

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A History of Violence (2005)

Suspense master David Cronenberg was an unlikely, but, as it turns out, perfect fit with this comparatively straightforward story of former mercenaries and mob retribution, based on the underselling 1997 graphic novel by John Wagner. The story adhered closely to its source for the first half, at which point screenwriter Josh "I Will Not Read Your Fucking Script" Olson took some creative liberties that paid off nicely -- William Hurt's contemplative, half-speed psychopath brother character being one of them. Cronenberg's unflinching taste for injury added a certain compound fracture c'est quoi to the proceedings.

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Comments

  • Ethan says:

    No love lost between you and "Ghost World"?

  • MrsQuint says:

    "V for Vendetta" should be in the worst. I watched this movie a couple of times hoping it will grow on me, and it did, like a wart.

  • metroville says:

    Regardless of my level of enjoyment garnered from any particular coloring-book adaptation (and it's usually on the low end of the spectrum), I always find satisfaction in the knowledge that approximately 50% of the world's uncreative, arbitrary fetishists are impotent with rage...and that the other half will get theirs when the next one comes out.

  • Christopher says:

    Wanted was a fun movie but not even close enough to be called an "adaptation."

  • 30 Days of Night? Remember, its that Josh Harnett movie where he can't beat off or have sex with any vampires. Classic.

  • Kyle Buchanan says:

    Ghost World, seconded!

  • kate says:

    V for Vendetta was so goddamn dumb and I say this as a Speed Racer superfan
    But man 300, Sin City, Watchmen and no Ghost World, no American Splendor, none of the superhero movies That Were Okay To Like? R U SRS RITE NOW

  • NP says:

    Persepolis should be in the 'best' category.

  • Gallant Patsy says:

    I still can't forgive 300 for its "heightened sense of things," twice. Lord knows I love me the idea of 300 big dumb and full Chippensoldiers, but still, I couldn't get past that.
    You can never have enough hats, gloves, and shoes.
    Ghost World thirded.
    Josie And The Pussycats firsted. Purists be damned.

  • SunnydaZe says:

    It is always a bad idea to beat off vampires...

  • Old No.7 says:

    Did someone say bourbon?

  • digestion says:

    I haven't seen "Whiteout" or "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen," but I can't imagine they're worse than "The Spirit."

  • Seth Abramovitch says:

    A note on omissions:
    The Spirit was an ongoing newspaper strip turned DC series, therefore I ruled it out as graphic novel.
    American Splendor was an intermittent, non-closed-ended series that began in '76 and was also ruled out for that reason.
    Ghost World ran from '93 to '97, too long to be a limited series, though it was reissued in book form and could have snuck in there. My bad, I guess, but that was the thinking.
    Persepolis is 100% a graphic novel and has every right to be there. Same could be said for Waltzing With Bashir.

  • kate says:

    I am going to be real, I did not read that intro and just started angrily mashing my keyboard. Hugz

  • AgentEd says:

    Road to Perdition - great film.

  • MarkDTS says:

    Road to Perdition is definitely missing for the "Best" category.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Road_to_Perdition
    Anyone who hasn't seen this film I highly suggest that they run to their closest computer and update their NetFlix cue. Oh! You're in luck. You happen to be sitting in front of a computer right now. Doooo eeeet! 🙂

  • James says:

    What about Road to Perdition?

  • comicfan says:

    How could you forget Hellblazer/Constantine from that list? One of the greatest comic series, story written by Garth Ennis, how could that go wrong? Easily it seems - you only need some music video director(constantine was his first movie ever) and keanu reeves.

  • The Cantankerist says:

    Hey, nobody's mentioned Road To Perdition yet.

  • Ummm... says:

    You had V for Vendetta in the Good Pile, when it should be in the bad pile, along with poor old Alan Moore's other adaptation from hell, "From Hell". Sure it's got Johnny Depp, but it was obviously so forgettable that no one thought to add it.
    Another vote for Ghost World as being one of the goodies.

  • pster says:

    From Hell -> worst

  • Mike Ryan says:

    If you're going to include the Spirit (best comic strip ever!) as one of the worst graphic novel adaptations, you have to include "Dick Tracy."

  • Robert says:

    Best: Batman Begins
    Worst: (although not this decade) all the Batmans before Begins

  • Gia says:

    Sin City definitely should have been the top choice as best, in my opinion.
    And I can't believe The Spirit wasn't listed as the worst. It was INCREDIBLY pretentious.
    WTF is with all these super-heroes having a weird sense of obligation to the town they live in? I mean... c'mon.

  • Jermaine says:

    Watchmen was overhyped shit. The only interesting character, Dr. Manhattan (not be cause his blue penis that was everywhere), was the most detached, both from the story and also from the movie. He did what I wished I could have done in the theater. Get as far away as possible.
    No love for I Am Legend or 30 Days of Night? Both were better than any movie on the list excluding V for Vendetta.
    The comic book movies were also a lot better (Iron Man, The Dark Knight).